Who is Michael Higgins? That is what I asked myself after hearing his new album, which I found thoroughly engaging in an unassuming way. Doing some web research, I learned that Higgins has been around awhile and has built his chops working with Eddie Harris, Billy Watrous and Maynard Ferguson, to name a few. His accomplished technique was honed by private lessons from greats like Joe Pass and Howard Roberts. They have taught him well. Along the way he has developed a gently flowing style, one that at times reminds me of a less eclectic Bill Frisell, especially on this wonderfully tasty track. Ably assisted by bassist Jay Anderson and drummer Adam Nussbaum, Higgins casts a low-timbered tone to his treatment of this bossa-based offering with a somehow countrified sensibility that is eerily familiar yet not easily identifiable. Nussbaum's traps roll polyrhythmically throughout, adding the perfect counterpoint to Higgins's wispy riffs. With so many talented guitarists on the scene today, no doubt Michael Higgins will continue to make his mark and build his own following of listeners who just like good music played in a tasteful, low-keyed style.